In
the past 20 years forensic DNA has proved its merits as a powerful technology
in criminal justice systems. Meanwhile this technology has evolved and
diversified in various ways. Next to innovations that have made it possible to
produce trustworthy DNA profiles based on little amount of biological material,
forensic DNA has also changed from being solely a tool of identification into
an investigative tool. This latter implies that DNA research is not only
conducted to establish a link between a biological trace and a known suspect,
but also to provide leads about an unknown suspect. Databases-searches,
familial searching, DNA-phenotyping are such more or less novel approaches.

This
development in technology has also affected the governance of forensic DNA
across different countries in Europe. Although
there seems to be a ‘logic of convergence’ towards a homogenization of legal
arrangements at play within Europe, there are still major differences in
legislation. For example whereas the Netherlands has enacted a law regulating
the use of DNA-phenotyping, in many other European countries this use is
illegal. In addition, the specific division of labor and of ‘jurisdiction’
among the different actors involved in the criminal investigation and the legal
process differs as well.

What
are the differences and similarities between European countries in governance
and practice of forensic DNA? Do these differences generate different kinds of
normative and moral problems and questions? And what are these? Are the
different systems across Europe in a flux? And if so, in which directions are
they moving? How do legal, political concerns relate to developments in
technology? How does the future of forensic genetics and its use in the
criminal justice systems look alike? What can we learn from other fields of
expertise, such as craniofacial reconstruction? Is there a conversion going on
between the different fields in forensics? How can a network of social science
scholars afford a better grasp of the trends in forensics in Europe as to
anticipate relevant/important sociopolitical and scholarly questions.

The aim of his event is to launch a
European Network for the Social Studies of Forensics (EUnetSSF) through which
we can combine strength and expertise, learn from the similarities and
differences across Europe and study forensics as an interdisciplinary practice.

Five
guest speakers will give a public address on current developments in the field
of forensics, law and governance of forensic data. Each talk will last
approximately 30 min, followed by a discussion of say, 15 min.

Abstract: Emerging progress in genetic
understanding of (some) human appearance traits and longer lasting accumulative
understanding of geographic distribution of genetic variation has led to the
idea of using for investigative purposes information on externally visible
characteristics and bio-geographic origin obtained directly from crime scene
evidence material by molecular analyses (i.e. Forensic DNA Phenotyping or DNA
intelligence). This is relevant in those forensic and missing person cases were
conventional DNA profiling or any other means of investigation remain
uninformative to identify a perpetrator, victim or missing person. This
presentation will provide a brief overview about current knowledge on genes
that determine human appearance, available markers to predict appearance traits
from DNA, and available DNA test systems for appearance prediction, as well as
a brief summary about the geographic distributions of human genetic diversity
and the scientific prerequisites for DNA inference of bio-geographic origin. I
will highlight current availabilities but also limitations and touch on future
expectations in this recently emerging field, which reflects an interplay
between fundamental human genetics and applied forensic genetics but can also
have relevance in medical genetics and community genetics.

Bio:Manfred Keyser is currently a Professor of Forensic Molecular Biology
at the Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam. Furthermore he is the
founding Head of the Department of Forensic Molecular Biology at Erasmus MC.
The mission of his department is to provide solutions to currently unsolvable
questions in forensics by carrying out fundamental and applied research in
human molecular biology and genetics and delivering tools for forensic use. For
instance he identified genes involved in eye color, demonstrated that a few
genetic markers are sufficient to accurately estimate eye color, developed a
DNA test system for eye color prediction and forensically validated it, which
now is available for routine forensic applications. Active research lines
include molecular inference of appearance traits and bio-geographic origin,
molecular age estimation, molecular tissue identification, and molecular trace
time estimation. More information can be found at www.erasmusmc.nl/fmb.

14:00 – 14:45

KERSTIN KREUTZ

Title: Limits and possibilities of
morphological identification in forensics

Abstract: The human face and body show
a great variety of characteristics that can be described and measured and be
identified as being individual or unique. People can, therefore, be recognized
and distinguished as individuals by the number of individual characteristics
that can be identified. The main problem is how well and in which detail these
characteristics can be seen, both in real life or on a photograph. Forensic
anthropologists usually have to deal with pictures from crime scenes, or from
criminal settings that show people who can hardly be recognized at all. In addition,
there may also be artifacts that complicate the visibility of identifying
characteristics. Another problem is the lack of published databases from which
to take the distribution frequencies of facial and body characteristics in
human populations. Selected cases will be shown to demonstrate the
possibilities of photogrammetry, image superimposition and direct image
matching to solve the problem of how to identify a suspect as being the
perpetrator.

Bio: Dr. Kerstin Kreutz studied Biology with a main focus on Anthropology,
at the Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany. She finished her
dissertation at the Zentrum Anatomie, Göttingen, Germany and the
Justus-Liebig-University, Gießen, Germany. Dr. Kreutz started working as a
Forensic Anthropology expert in 1996. Since 2003 she is part of the Institute
for Forensic Anthropology, Wettenberg, Germany.

14:45 – 15:30

IR. C. P. (KEES) VAN DER BEEK

Title: The perceived fears for false
positive Prüm DNA matches

Abstract: This presentation discusses
the basics of the Prüm DNA Exchange process and its matching rules and then
explains how one can easily detect and hence prevent false positive matches.

Bio:Dr. Ir. C. P. (Kees) van der Beek MBA was hired by the Netherlands
Forensic Institute (NFI) as a project manager in 1999 to help the NFI to expand
the capacity of the DNA department and also to develop a DNA-based process for
the Dutch Immigration Authorities to verify family relationships. Later on he
was asked to become the deputy head of the DNA-department. Presently he is the
custodian of the Dutch DNA database and the national contact point for the
exchange of DNA-profiles based on the EU-Prüm-Council-Decisions. He is the
leading scientist for DNA of the EU-Prum implementation working group. In this
role he assists the semi-annually changing chair of this group and the European
Commission. He also directs the annual update of the ENFSI DNA Working Group
document on DNA-database management and the semi-annual ENFSI overview of the
contents and the results of DNA-databases in Europe.

15:30 – 16:00Coffee break

16:00 – 16:45

CORINNA KRUSE

Title: Forensic Evidence and
Translation Work

Abstract: Producing and using forensic
evidence involves a number of different professions – crime scene technicians,
forensic scientists, police investigators, prosecutors, judges – with different
foci and different expertise. If the judicial system is made up of so disparate
professional or epistemic cultures, how does forensic evidence travel between
these epistemic cultures without losing its meaning? Drawing on ethnographic
fieldwork in the Swedish judicial system, I will talk about this travel and the
translation work that makes it possible.

Bio: Corinna Kruse graduated in Social and Cultural Anthropology in 2000
from Hamburg University and completed her PhD in Technology and Social Change
in 2006 from Linköping University. Since 2013 she is a lecturer at the
Department of Technology and Social Change in Linköping University. A theme
that she has been interested in is analyzing technoscience in terms of cultural
processes. Her PhD thesis examines how notions of humanness and machineness in
the laboratory shape scientific practices of making valid data. Currently,
Kruse is working on the project “Crime scene investigators as a boundary
profession: Organizing the judicial system’s disparate epistemic cultures for
cooperation”.

16:45 – 17:00 Closing
discussion

17:00 – 17:30Toast

19:00Dinner

Saturday,
November 23, 10:15 – 17:00

University
Library Singel, Potgieterzaal

10:00 – 12:30

Identifying
similarities and differences between forensic practices, governance and
legislation in the different countries. For this purpose, each participant is
asked to prepare a 5 to 10-minute presentation on the salient developments in
forensics within their field and country.

12:30 – 14:30Lunch
break

14:30 – 17:00

Recap
of the previous session.

Discussion
about the future development of the network. What could be a good form for the
network? How will we organize following meetings? What opportunities for joint
research are present? What are possible sources of funding, both for future workshops
and joint research? What kind of outcome do we expect?